Sonic The Hedgehog has had a long and prodigious stint as Sega's mascot, and over the years he's gone up against an increasingly more colourful cadre of cretins. At yesterday's Walk of Game event (gaming's version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which preceeds the opening of the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco), Sega revealed that Shadow The Hedgehog - the villainous anti-hero of recent Sonic games - would be getting his own title later this year.

Don't expect a mere character switch though. Shadow The Hedgehog veers off the bright paths of its forebears to give a grittier take on the Sonic universe. The most obvious new addition is Shadow's handgun, which he can use to take out enemies just as readily as jumping on them.

Ostensibly, this is very much like the transition seen from Jak & Daxter to Jak 2. In that case, the new tone worked out well for the game, but a darker feel is not a guarantee of success.

Fans have reacted with mixed feelings to the title so far, but it's way too early to draw any conclusions on what could wind up being a hit Christmas title.

You can download the trailer for the game below, along with an additional video that takes a nostalgic look back at the Sonic series including spin-offs like Sonic The Fighters.

The trailer reminds us about Shadow's mysterious character: "Created as the ultimate life form, but haunted by his past... enter the "shadowy" world
of an unexpected hero - or is he? Hero or villain - you decide." Yes, indeed.

These hi-res screens reveal an engine that is very similar to other recent 3D Sonic titles, but with a slightly different feel to the levels and some of the enemies.

It's not yet known for certain which platforms the game is heading to - but GameCube is a dead cert, while PS2 and Xbox versions have not been ruled out either.

Shadow The Hedgehog, which some are already dubbing Sonic Adventure 3, should make it to shops before the end of the year. Expect more at May's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

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